2018/05/16

8 TIPS ON HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED

I think we all know those moments where you just want to lie in bed all day long and do nothing. We all have them no matter what we're studying, where we are working or what we are doing in our life. It's human to be lazy from time to time. The only problem with it is that laziness won't bring you anywhere, so sometimes you just have to "suck it up" as some would call it, get out of bed and get your sh*t done. I figured it would be a good idea to give you some tips that help me stay motivated - maybe, they'll help you, too!

Get out of bed early

I know... This is by far the hardest one for me, too, but at the same time, it's probably the most effective one as well. As much as I love to sleep until midday, fact is I lose half a day to be productive and get stuff done, which ends up in me stressing out about not having enough time to get everything done or in staying up until late at night because I feel like I need to finish everything I planned for that day. Since I started getting up early, I feel a lot less stressed out and (that's a no-brainer) I get more stuff done in a day which helps me to stay motivated to keep up this routine.

Make a to-do list

I'm not talking about the impossible 100-bullet-points-to-do-lists. Just write down 5 things that you really need to get done during that day and try to stick to that list. There's a weird feeling of satisfaction in crossing out the points that you've completed which really helps me to stay motivated to being productive for the rest of the day as well.

Keep up a certain day structure

Every day is different - you have different stuff to do, different people to see, different meetings to attend, and I completely get that. But keeping up a few simple habits that you follow every single day, such as going to the gym at one time or having breakfast/lunch/dinner at another time, is going to help you keep up with your schedule.

Make healthy choices

I've already talked about the sleeping schedule. Another, quite obvious example of making healthy choices would be for example to eat as healthy as you can. I don't talk about completely cutting out every food that you love (go get that McDonald's, girl!), but just try to keep your meals on the lighter side during the day to avoid feeling sleepy and lazy. Also, try to drink as much water as you can. I agree that coffee and Redbull can be saviours in case of fatigue, but I find that if I drink enough water, I get less tired throughout the day, especially when it comes to that little afternoon-sleepy-moment.

Remember why you're doing it

As I previously said, it's human to get lazy and caught-up in a routine sometimes. Even though I love my studies and am really happy with the way things are looking right now for me, it's probably one of the most stressful times I've had in a very long time. In times like these, it's easy to lose motivation, but I believe that reminding yourself ever so often why you started doing what you're doing and keeping your eyes on the end goal helps a lot.

Keep your working place tidy

I also tend to feel very low and unmotivated whenever my desk looks like a hot mess because let's be honest: who wants to write an essay in between empty bottles, books that you don't need, pens that nobody knows where they come from and other unnecessary stuff? So try to keep your working place tidy and neat in order for things not to look as bad anymore.

Allow yourself to have breaks and some me-time

I don't know about you but if I don't have enough me-time (which is literally me eating a bunch of food without even being hungry at all, while watching Netflix or YouTube, or play Sims), I get a very grumpy and unpleasant human being, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one. So allow yourself to have reasonable breaks in between work, and even take some time off every week to simply do nothing.

Know when you're the most productive and make the most out of it

Even though I'm everything but a morning person, I figured out that mornings are actually the time that I function best at (if I had enough sleep and I manage to get up that is). For me, this tip goes hand in hand with the first one and is probably the main reason why I try to get up early in the morning. I personally know that after lunch, I tend to feel more laid-back and even lazy, so I usually try to get done as much as I can beforehand.

1 comment

These are great tips dear! As simple as some of them may sound, it's sort of ironic because no one does them. I really like the one where you said be aware of the times you are most productive. This is great because you have to find what works for you and you may work really well at one time of the day, and not so well in another. Also, it's so important to keep your space tidy. A clear space leads to a clear mind. One that I would add is to remember to take breaks. Often we loose motivation because we get tired and frustrated from working on the same thing for long periods of time. So switch it up and do something different :)